We're gearing up for Halloween school celebrations and costume wearing. Thank you for understanding we won't be having guests attend parties this year to reduce COVID exposure opportunities to our student body and staff. While you're having fun looking for Halloween costumes with your child, please keep in mind costumes must be school appropriate and meet our district dress code. Weapon accessories of any sort are not allowed at school, and gruesome costumes that depict a violent event are also not permissible. Other non-weapon accessories not worn as part of the costume (ie. things that are carried, etc.) should remain at home too so they are not lost, damaged, or a distraction to the learning environment. Inflatable costumes, although cute and fun, are not school appropriate and prohibited. Lastly, when shopping for that perfect costume, please consider your child's ability to navigate the school day when wearing it. The day will be exciting and fun, and hang ups such as an extravagant costume that doesn't allow for ease of movement and comfort may take away from all of the fun-filled Halloween activities scheduled. You can expect more details soon about Halloween parties from your child's classroom teacher.

Here are some highlights of our fall Acadience benchmark testing:

• 2nd Grade = 68% of students performed at or above benchmark on the Composite Score (and 85% scored at or above benchmark on Retell which is comprehension).

• 3rd Grade = 74% of students performed at or above benchmark on the Composite Score (and 89% scored at or above benchmark on Retell which is comprehension).

Scott students participated in Walk to School Day on October 8th. The event was fun-filled and a great way to start the day. Thank you to our families, volunteers, bus drivers, local law enforcements, staff, and students.

Check out how to participate in the annual cookie dough fundraiser put on by our DeWitt Boosters Club. The dough for these cookies makes a yummy treat to make at home or for a gift to someone special.

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled from Tues., 11/9 and Thurs., 11/11 from 4-7:30 p.m. Conferences this fall will be virtual and families can expect to receive a SignUp Genius email greater than a week in advance of conferences to sign up for a time.

Don't worry if your child missed picture day. Picture retakes are scheduled for Thurs., November 4th!

Pick up and drop off has been going pretty smoothly overall, and we'd like to encourage you to teach your child how to enter and exit your vehicle and buckle up independently to help develop independent and responsible passenger skills. This will also increase safety in our driving loop by preventing adults from exiting their vehicle to help their child board their vehicle. Another benefit will be improved drop off and pick up time efficiency, which certainly makes everyone happy.

Thank you to families who are responsibly using our drop off and pick up loop. Our children watch the examples we model for them. Parking for drop off or pick up in front of the building is discouraged and picking up on Logan St. (beyond the bridge) is also frowned on because we don't have adult supervision in either area, and sometimes unexpected things happen that prevent drivers from being on time. These safety concerns worry us and also impact our ability to successfully implement our school drop off and pick up procedures. Thanks for making adjustments to your drop off and/or pick up routine to follow our school procedures if you haven't been.

Drop Off & Pick Up:

• To help promote a safe and productive start to your child’s day, please be sure to drop your child off no earlier than 8:10 a.m. because students are not allowed to enter the building until that time, and there is no adult supervision outside prior to then.

• Students dropped off will walk to the front of the building using the sidewalk, enter the vestibule through the main doors, and go to the cafeteria where there will be adult supervision until the first bell rings at 8:25 a.m. Students who arrive after the tardy bell (8:30 a.m.) must enter the building through the main entrance accompanied by a parent or guardian and be signed in at the office.

• Please drive up as far as possible in the loop to drop off or pick up your child. Anywhere there is a painted blue line on the sidewalk area is where students should get in and out of vehicles.

• Please do not drop your child off or pick your child up in the front of the building unless you are parking and entering the building with your child or to pick your child up.

• Please do not drop your child off or pick your child up in the road. This is extremely dangerous and our local law enforcement patrols our street frequently to support school procedures and enforce the law for student safety.

• Please do not park your car to drop your child off or pick your child up unless you are entering the building. Parking is limited at Scott School, and this creates challenges for staff to get to work on time and creates more sight line barriers for pedestrians and drivers after school.

• Students who are picked up after school are to wait on the sidewalk area located on the south side of the building where the parent driving loop is. Adult supervision will be at the loop after school daily to supervise students and assist with safety.

• Please post a sign in a visual area in your vehicle window with your child's first and last name printed in large legible font. This helps staff helping at the loop call students on a speaker system for efficient boarding.

• Although our students quickly learn the procedures for being dropped off and picked up, your help in following our guidelines will help ensure and model safety for our students.

Parking Lot & Other Safety Requests:

• Please avoid parking in the parking lot to drop off or pick up your child. Use the loop - that's what it's designed for. Parking should only occur when a parent/guardian must enter the building.

• Please resist the urge to drop your child off or pick your child up on Logan Street (across the bridge on our playground). Drop off and pick up locations other than the area that is designated (driving loop) for this creates safety concerns. We care about your child!

• Please drive the speed limit (25 mph) and come to a complete stop at the stop sign on Wilson St. Our 2nd and 3rd grade walkers and bikers often cross here and trust that you are watching for them.

It's normal for students to experience some anxiety at the start of the school year, and our school staff will be visible and eager to help all students find their classroom and get settled into a school routine. However, please communicate with us if your child experiences significant anxiety and stress about transitioning to school after the first week. We are happy to help!

Some Example of Car Signs for the Pick Up Loop:

Scott is a neighborhood school, and we have many wonderful neighbors who support our school. However, a community concern is vehicles blocking driveways at the beginning and end of the day when drop off and pick up occurs. Please be respectful of our neighbors by refraining from idling (or parking) your car in front of any driveway while waiting in the parent loop line. Allowing space for driveway access for all property owners is important and helps us maintain positive relations with our friendly neighbors and demonstrates respectful driver etiquette. Also, vehicles cannot stop in the intersection where the stop sign is located south of your building. We are fortunate to have support from our local law enforcement to keep our students, community, and school safe, so please know these traffic violations could result in police issuing tickets. In addition, please follow road rules by parking in legal spots when needing to enter the building. Using other areas besides the drop off and pick up loop is strongly discouraged. Please follow our driving guidelines so pick up and drop off times are safe for everyone by preventing an unfortunate accident from occurring and helping us keep good relations with our neighborhood community members. Be sure to follow turn sign when exiting the loop. Vehicles must make a righthand turn only to keep traffic flow steady and to avoid an accident. Also, please be sure to stop and leave the legal amount of space between your vehicle and the crosswalk as you approach the stop sign on Wilson St. to allow visibility of children crossing to get to and from school. Lastly, please keep in mind that our staff need to be on time to work to teach and support your child, so please allow staff access to the staff parking lot when they arrive to work each day. Thank you for your attention to these concern areas.

We're excited that the Walking School Bus (see information below) is planning to start up at Scott School. Please consider this opportunity for your child to walk to school and get some fresh air, exercise, and make new friends by walking with a trusted adult. This will also benefit families by avoiding wait time in the parent loop line.

Scott School is excited to introduce the Walking School Bus as an alternative option for students travelling to or from school! With the WSB, your child can enjoy many benefits of walking to school including increased physical activity, reduced traffic at drop-off and pick-up, and, best of all, improved academic performance! In order to continue to offer this program, the WSB needs volunteers to lead our routes. Most critically, volunteers are needed as follows:

• St. Jude Church to Scott School - volunteers are needed Monday through Friday for both the morning and afternoon (if there are not sufficient volunteers, we will not utilize this community meeting spot).

• Springbrook Hills Church to Scott School - volunteers are needed Monday through Friday for both the morning and afternoon (if there are not sufficient volunteers, we will not utilize this community meeting spot).

• Fuerstenau to Scott School - volunteers are needed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the morning and afternoon.

If sufficient volunteers are available, the Walking School Bus will run daily, departing from St. Jude and Fuerstenau at 8:05 a.m. and returning to St. Jude and Fuerstenau at 3:45 p.m. or departing Springbrook Hills Church at 8:00 and returning at 3:50. Contact Maureen Oberman at obermanmau@dewittschools.net with questions; click here to register as a volunteer, or click here to register your child!

Visitors and guests will be limited for the start of the school year. This will be re-evaluated once the year is well underway. We are hoping this protocol isn't necessary all year because we love having volunteers and guests in our school. Thank you, parents/guardians, for communicating and demonstrating confidence to your child that he/she is can independently enter the building every day. We will have many visible staff members, so as Mister Rogers said, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

There are some Scott students who have health-threatening nut allergies in our building. Scott School is a 'No Nut' building this year. Pack items that do not contain nuts for your child's lunch and snack. It is critically important that we provide a safe learning environment for all students, and your help with this is needed and appreciated. Please always contact your child's teacher if you have a concern about an allergy or other health condition related to your child that they should be aware of. Also, if your child has a medical need, including food or other allergies, don't forget to update your child's Medical Management Plan by completing and submitting the district forms to the office before school starts so we can follow protocols to keep your child safe.

In order for Scott School personnel to administer medication to your child when we return to in person instruction, you must:

• Submit a completed district medication form to our office.

• Be sure all medications are brought to and stored in our office.

• Be sure prescription medication is in its original container accompanied with a physician’s signature.

• Be sure non-prescription medication is in its original container accompanied by a parent’s signature.

• Please communicate with your child's teacher if he/she takes medication daily at school.

• If your child has a medical condition, please be sure to complete a Medical Management Plan for your child and turn it in at the office.

Medication and other medical forms can be found on our DeWitt Public Schools website.

Our school social worker, Mrs. Schwarz, is always willing to assist students and families in any way possible. In addition to working closely with your child's teacher, consider reaching out to her if you have questions or need support. She is truly amazing at what she does! She can be reached at 517-668-3446 or schwarzdea@dewittschools.net.

You can expect further communication from Mrs. Schwarz about a social/emotional questionnaire for families to fill out with their child. Please be sure to help your child complete the questionnaire when you electronically receive as this will help to inform guidance services. Stay tuned!